I woke up one typical morning in May 2008 to notice, as I checked out my face in the mirror, that I was way past due for a haircut: my sideburns were starting to look like puffy lambchops and the back of my neck was getting shaggy.
I mentioned out loud that I should book an appointment with my hair salon when my girlfriend pointed out something that should have been obvious as I tend to keep my hair relatively short. "There's not really much styling going on."
As I contemplated the $40 a month I've been spending on my hair, I realized that's nearly half a grand a year. And what have I been getting? Well, the scalp massage and shampoo job was nice. And they were always kind enough to offer me all sorts of expensive products. Oh, and the scenery's generally pretty fantastic.
I've never been comfortable with barbershops. Afterall, everytime I've walked past them, the barbers have never had particularly good looking hairdos. And the places often look a little dodgy.
That said, I decided to take a leap of faith, accept the fact my hair doesn't really need a stylist, and try out the barber shop route.
If you're at all curious, you can follow along with me each month as I try out various Ottawa-area barbershops. As we go along, I'll try and work out some basic criteria and, down the road, I'll sort out some sort of rating system. I'm a pretty curious guy so I'll dig up a few facts along the way.
For now, my rating system is something like this: The next day, what is the reaction I get? Mockery or alarmed comments would be a bad thing. No reaction will be considered fine. Positive feedback, well, you get the picture.
My first impression of barber shops is that they cut hair and give you a shave. Afterall, "barber" stems from the french word for "beard." So I had thought that one of my rating criteria would be to see if they offer to give me a shave, or if I need to ask. However, I read a wikipedia entry that explained that these days barbers pretty much just stick to cutting hair. The entry goes on to say that barbers are different than salon stylists in that they don't normally do any fancy styling. Another neat fact I read was that, in the old days, barbers also did some surgery and dentistry. Yikes!
233 Elgin Street
613-235-3841
I kicked off the "barber shop project" on May 10 on a whim. We'd been to the Manx for brunch and decided on the way there that "today would be the day."
WHAT TO EXPECT: If it weren't for the barber shop pole on the exterier of the shop, you'd never know to go in as the place doubles as a convenience store. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was what; however, as I looked into the back, I saw the barber chairs. There were two barbers working. I asked the one closest the door if he had an availability and he said "sure." In fact, his previous customer was in the process of paying so the chair was free.
An odd thing happened, though. This small older dude pushed right past me and zipped over to a chair and sat down. There are about 3 or 4 waiting chairs but they are obscured by some furniture in the convenience store portion of the shop. The old dude seemed to be aware of the shop's protocol: first seated, first served. The very barber I had spoken with nodded to the man that it was his turn.
THE CUT: My barber was quite nice. He was a good conversationalist and had all kinds of insights on the costs and sizes or area condos. He was a bit of a "low talker", though, so when he was using the electric trimmers, he needed to turn them off of to speak. Also, the two barbers took turns serving customers in the store part of the shop. I had to wait for a good 30 minutes to get into the chair and the cut lasted about 30 minutes.
COST: $14 ($20, with tip)
THE RESULT: No comments from friends or co-workers.
13 Beechwood Avenue
613-235-9623
June 10, 2008. It's Tuesday and a month since my last haircut. I had that shaggy feeling again so I thought I'd give Lester's a shot since it's on my way home from work. I called ahead to find out what time they close: they accept their last client at 5:45 p.m. on a weekday. They don't accept reservations.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Lester's is next to a bakery and a dry cleaner's on the very edge of New Edinburgh. The place is clean, plain and well lit. There's a front waiting room with a coffee table with magazines and kids' toys.
This was a first for me. Both of the barbers were female. I've mentioned this to a few people who wondered if this makes the place unauthentic. Mental note: try to read up on whether barbers were historically men...
THE CUT: I arrived at about 5:15 p.m. There were two customers in the chairs so I had to wait approximately 15 minutes before it was my turn. My barber was quick and used mostly scissors, with the clippers for just cleaning up the lines. She used the warm shaving soap -- which feels great! -- and a modern razor to clean up the back of my neck.
At the end of the cut, she used a warm wet towel to clean off the excess cuttings around the neck, ears and even on topof my head.
I was out and on my way home within about 20 minutes.
COST: $15 ($20 with tip)
THE RESULT: Two colleagues noticed I got a haircut. I got one "nice haircut" and one "Nice. You look younger."
201 - 738A Bank Street
613-231-3343
Well, a month had gone by since my last haircut and so, yes, the usual shaggy sides and scraggly back-of-neck had to be dealt with. So, on July 10, I did a quick Google search of Ottawa area hair butchers and came across a review of the Glebe Barber Shop. The guy said the place gave the best cut in town but mentioned the barber was quirky and so the place wasn't for just anyone. Unless, of course, you could get past the quirkiness.
I couldn't resist. I felt like I was Agent Mulder stumbling across a new X file. I was at the office and curious to know what time they closed and when they took their last customer. The guy who answered the phone spoke with a clipped voice. He explained he closed at 6. I asked when he accepted his last client and he repeated that he closed at 6 and told me “bye bye.” That confirmed it, I was on the case.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The barber shop is on the second floor, overlooking Bank street. It's a clean room with a few chairs. When I arrived, there was just the one barber. There was a television on and he was watching WWF. There were bills plastered all over the walls of various international currencies.
THE CUT: Throughout the cut, my barber was watching the television and asking me questions. At one point he said “do you have any children, amigo?” I told him no but that I was getting married in September so who knows, maybe soon. He seemed to know that I was in my mid-thirties and asked me why I had waited so long. “Why are you afraid of women,” he asked. I said “I don't know, that's a good question.” Well, he just found this to be the funniest thing and chuckled to himself for the better part of five minutes. He also asked me where I lived and a few other things but that one exchange is what sticks out for me. The haircut took about 20 minutes and I was on my way.
COST: $12 (plus tip)
THE RESULT: I got the most comments to date. I had a comment about my doo being stylish, a couple of “nice haircuts” and “you look youngers.”
887 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 3W4
(613) 238-5038
I can't believe it's August and it's been a month already. Well, maybe I can. It's been a busy period, what with the folks visiting from overseas and a weekend getaway to North Bay.
So it was time to get my ears lowered. We had decided to run errands with the folks in the Glebe and so I decided to check out Ernesto's.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Ernesto's is a picture perfect example of a stereotypical barber shop. It's a clean place with big windows. It's nice and sunny inside. There are 3 chairs. Two were being used when I visited. The place definitely feels like it's part of a community. Several of the clients knew Ernesto and Gary by name. One guy appeared to be visiting from out of town. He was with his wife and kids. He introduced his son and daughter to the barber, explaining that this is where their grandfather gets his hair cut.
There we quite a few people ahead of me when I arrived at around 11:30 a.m. In fact, I had to stand until one of the five waiting chairs became vacant.
The Olympics were on -- women's volleyball -- so between that and the newspaper, I had plenty to occupy my time. Good thing, too. I waited at least 60 minutes before it was my turn. But it was also just past noon and Ernesto took a break for his lunch. Fifteen minutes later, I was in the chair.
THE CUT: Ernesto was a quiet guy, but friendly. He asked me what I wanted. I told him I wanted my hair cleaned up a bit and that I don't like it when people can see the scalp on the sides. He said "so not too short on the top" and I agreed. And then he got down to work. We compared notes on the lousy weather we've been having in Ottawa and the fact that I had wanted to see the fireworks that night but it looked like it would be too cloudy. The cut took about 25 minutes.
He was thorough. Nothing much stands out to me. A professional job, no surprises other than the cut was a bit shorter than what the previous three barbers had done.
THE COST: $11 plus tip
THE RESULT: I had just two comments. They were both from people who could really tell I had a haircut.
I had originally intended to go to an upscale place for my September haircut as I was getting married on the 20th. I had thought of taking this opportunity as a "control sample" for the barber shop experiment. However, as I was getting ready to make an appointment, I decided not to bother. I decided to go with the place where I'd had the best cut to date. And so back I went to the Glebe Barber Shop. The barber was just as quirky as the previous time. And the cut looked good. But it's hard to get a reaction when everyone is checking out your bride.
258 Kent Street
(613) 233-6657
A few months ago, I received an e-mail from Raymond who has visited this column a few times. He suggested I check out a couple of downtown shops. One was called Continental Barber Shop and so, on October 10, off I went. I was on assignment, as it were.
Kent Street has been undergoing a bit of a transformation of late. There are very large new condo building going up and so the place has a strange in between kind of look. On the east side, are some new buildings. On the west, some older houses are hanging in there like the neglected weeds next to my front steps.
And so it was that I blinked and drove right past the barber shop on my first pass. It's located in an old house and, even though I'd been paying attention to the street numbers, it just didn't have that commercial "feel." Not a problem, I did a loop - a long loop, as it turns out (this area is full of one way streets) -- and found parking a block away.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Inside, the shop was clean. The tiles and counter tops were old and faded. There were three chairs but only one barber.
I looked read the price list on the wall and noticed they still do straight razor shaving (16 bucks). I asked about that and was told not many people go for that option any more. Andre, the barber, mentioned that the colleges don't teach the use of the straight razor anymore due to health concerns such as AIDS.
Andre asked me where I lived. I told him the east end and he asked me if they cut hair down there. I said yes and there was a place just down the street from my house I'd meant to check out. He said I should do it soon before the guy retires.
I found this intriguing and asked if that was what was happening to the profession. Andre mentioned to me that he'd been in the business for 50 years and that they don't teach barbers at Algonquin College anymore. "They're hair stylists now." He went over to his wall and pulled down his license. "See, hair stylist. Not barber any more." It turns out that the government had stopped granting barber licenses about two years ago. His license changed from "barber" to stylists without anyone saying anything to him.
THE CUT: Andre asked me how I wanted my haircut. I told him not so short you can see my scalp and mentioned how I style it forward. He got to work and used scissors for the entire cut. He didn't bother with clippers. At the end, he went over to use a dispenser for hot shaving cream and used a straight razor to go over the back of my neck. It had been years since a barber had used the hot shaving cream on my neck. I don't know about you, but I think it feels so nice. At the end, he rolled up the apron to make sure the trimmings didn't get all over my shoes.
THE COST: $16.
THE RESULT: I didn't get any comments except for my wife who thought it looked pretty good except for the front was a little longer than she likes.
344 Donald St. Ottawa
(613) 744-1690
Last month, I went to see a barber who suggested I check out my local barbershop before the guy retires. As I learned last month, they don't train "barbers" in college anymore. Now, they're called "hairstylists." And so, this month, I decided to take him up on it.
There's a barber pole next to the door but the sign clearly refers to Jack's "men's hairstylist." Yikes, was I too late?
I moved into this area just under two years ago. I live in a newer development in what is a pretty blue-collar area. Technically, we're in "Overbrook" although it is marketed as "Castle Heights." Try to use either of these, though, and your friends will mock you and call it "Vanier."
Any way you slice it, the area's typical of neighbourhoods in transition - a small band of yuppies slowly displacing an eclectic rag-tag team of local characters.
In the midst of this sea of change is Jack's. It's on a residential street with only a few businesses along this strip. So it definitely sticks out like a sore thumb. I even remember seeing it the first time I drove up to meet the real estate agent.
When you pull up, you'll come to a converted house. On one side is Jack's and on the other side is "Chez Diane." There are a few parking spots in the front as well as some along back.
WHAT TO EXPECT: It's nice and clean inside. A big window spans the full front wall so the room is quite bright. There are two chairs. The nearest to the entrance belongs to Jacques. The other belongs to Jack. Jacques is a big golfer and has shelves full of golf balls next to his chair. Based on what I've seen the past few months, this definitely qualifies as a barbershop, despite the sign out front.
When I arrived, both chairs were taken and there was one person waiting ahead of me. Another guy was in the process of leaving and was a real chatterbox. He had on blue pants with smears of dried paint and well-worn construction boots. From his conversation and demeanour, I concluded he'd probably been coming to Jack's for much of his adult life.
Both barbers are French speaking as were their clients. I waited maybe 15 minutes and it was my turn. Jack called me over to his chair. He spoke French to me and so I decided to roll with it. Maybe 20 minutes later, a customer came in who only spoke English. Turns out both barbers are fluently bilingual.
Jack explained to me that they purchased the house they are currently in 24 years ago. Before that, they were located at the rear of the butcher's across the street. He explained that the house was part of their retirement plan. There's that "retirement" word again, I thought.
THE CUT: Jack asked me what I wanted and then set to work. He used a combination of scissors and clippers. He took his time and I was pleased with the results. But nothing stands out to me in terms of the experience other than the fact that he was a very nice guy.
THE COST: $10 (plus tip) during the week. $11 on Fridays and Saturdays.
THE RESULT: No comments other than from my wife who thought it looked better than the previous month's cut because the front was just the right length.
396 Cooper Street
(613) 569-2257
Well, another month, another haircut. This time it was December and the streets of Ottawa were quite messy from one of the first big storms of the winter. I decided to check out a place near Parliament Hill called Victoria Barber Shop, only to discover they were closed on Saturday. I remembered seeing a place just off Bank Street and decided to head in that direction and see if I could find it.
I remembered that the barbershop was on a corner just off Bank. Heading South, I expected it to be on the left and visible from Bank Street. Sure enough, as I approached Cooper, I saw the barber's pole.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The barbershop is on the ground floor of a small office building. It's got nice big windows in the front. Inside, you'll find 3 barber's chairs. The day I was there, all three were manned. Near the counter, they have an assortment of shaving products for sale, including safety razors, shaving cream and old fashioned bristle brushes. I was out of safety razors and so this was just my day.
There is a wide screen tv mounted to the wall. They had the station tuned to a soccer match - Arsenal versus Middlesborough. Made me wonder how my team, Liverpool, had done (they tied versus Hull, by the way).
The barbers were all very nice. I think they were from somewhere in the Middle East as were a number of their customers. There was some very friendly banter, although I didn't know what they were saying.
THE CUT: My barber asked me what I wanted and asked if I'd like to watch the match. I said "yes" and he turned my chair so I could see the tv. He worked in silence from then on in. At the end, he turned the chair around. I looked in the mirror and told him everything looked great.
THE COST: $16 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: One comment from a colleague at work: "You got a haircut. It looks nice."
196A Besserer Street
(613)232-4748
It was another freezing cold day on January 17 when I decided to head out for a haircut. My destination was a tiny barber shop that I remembered passing on foot at least a million times back when I lived in Sandy Hill. But in those days I was more intent on getting from my apartment off Laurier Avenue to the bars in the Market.
The barber shop was located in a neighbourhood in transition. Rideau Street, in this area, has changed quite a bit over the past couple of years. New high-rise condos have sprung up nearby, and a few more are being built. The barber shop, and the building in which it is located, look almost like they are about to be left behind. In this respect, it has a lot in common with many of the other barber shops I've visited over the past few months.
On this particular occasion, I wasn't sure how good or bad parking would be. Ottawa was gripped by a persistent transit strike (it still is at the time of writing) and the City was allowing drivers to park on the street for free. I was lucky and managed to find a spot just off Cumberland maybe 2 blocks away.
The shop was located on the corner of Besserer and Cumberland. A sign outside indicated haircuts were $11.
WHAT To EXPECT: Inside, the place had the same aged look I've come to expect from local barbers. The walls were made of off-white wood paneling, the floors linoleum. There were two barber chairs but only one was in use. There was a nameplate above the vacant one that read,"Jean-Claude
Garand."
There was writing on a whiteboard on the opposite wall with Jean-Claude Garand's name and a note about 46 years of cutting men's hair. It turns out he was the father of the current barber and he passed away in February 2007. The two had worked side-by-side.
There were two people waiting ahead of me. One was on his Blackberry. The other was reading the newspaper. On average, each haircut took about 20 minutes. I was able to find a free wi-fi signal for my iTouch and downloaded the latest "Age of Persuasion" podcast to occupy my time.
THE CUT: The barber had me sit down and asked the usual questions about what I wanted. We didn't talk too much. However, I did learn why the shop was called "Rideau Barber Shop" rather than "Besserer Barber Shop." It was originally located on Rideau Street. Apparently, it first opened in around 1890. There wasn't much more about the experience that was memorable. Just a nice, simple haircut.
THE COST: As the sign out front promised, $11 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: Just one comment from a friend who noticed I'd had my "ears lowered."
304 Wilbrod Street
(613) 234-0063
It's not always convenient when you're going out of your way to avoid establishments that you know will do a perfectly good job at cutting your hair. And so here I was on Valentine's Day trying to go for a quick haircut before getting on with my plans.
My original thought was to check out Zed Barber Shop on Slater Street. Unfortunately, when I got there, I discovered they were closed on Saturdays. The shop's located in an office tower so it should be no surprise. Now, on the way there, I noticed a sign for a new Imperial Barber Shop location on Slater.
Imperial's main spot is on Sparks Street and, to my knowledge, is not open on Saturdays. So, when I saw the sign "open Saturdays", I thought I'd check it out. It was about 11 a.m. and, although they do accept walk-ins, they take appointments. The barber told me he was booked until 1:30 p.m. I was back to the closet and pulling on my coat before the last words left his lips. I was kind of relieved, though, as I thought that I should really be reviewing the original spot on Sparks Street.
Next, I headed up to Rideau Street. At the corner of King Edward, I saw a barber's pole outside the Union Smoke Shop. I parked the car and went inside. At the back of the room, there was an aquarium looking space with a sliding glass door. Inside there was a barber cutting someone's hair. He asked if I had an appointment. I said "no" and he offered me his card. He mentioned to me that it's "almost impossible to get a haircut without appointments these days." The place is called Bern barber shop. It's such an odd setup that I think I'll have to make an appointment and check it out soon.
It was so strange to walk into these barber shops to be told to make an appointment. Up to now, whenever I've called ahead, barbers have told me they only do walk-ins.
I was getting desperate and thinking of going to a mall or one of the places I'd been to before when I remembered a shop in Sandy Hill. I used to live on Friel Street years ago and, whenever I did laundry, I used to pass this odd-looking white building. The place has a vacant look about it. I always wondered who went in there, but was never curious enough to check it out.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Well, the mystery was about to be solved. I parked the car and in I went. There was a barber at one chair finishing up with a male client and a woman at another chair tending to a female client. It turns out that they were an older Italian couple that loves to banter.
Above the mirror, there was a picture of Joe cutting a federal politician's hair. I pointed to the picture and asked, "is that Peter Mackay?" It sure was. Joe figures he's going to be Prime Minister one day. Between Joe and Marie, they explained next that Justin Trudeau was another young guy to watch. They explained how he had so much charisma and had to gain some experience, but he too would be PM one day.
THE CUT: To be honest, I don't really remember the cut too much. It's almost a month later at the time of writing and I remember mostly being distracted by the good-natured bickering between Joe and Marie. I do recall that Joe had a vacuum hooked up to a long hose which he used to clean up the cuttings before he removed the apron.
COST: $11.50 (plus tip)
THE RESULT: No comments from anyone. However, I asked my wife what she thought and she figured it was almost as good as the best haircut I've had so far from a barber.
307 Rideau Street
(613) 789-3798
Last month, I had a chance to tour a few different places before finding a spot that would take me right off the street. It probably didn't help that it was Valentine's Day. At any rate, there was one place that peeked my curiosity.
I'll get to the review in a moment, but first I'd like to see if you're actually reading. And, better still, if you'll reply. I got a message from Raymond a few weeks ago. He checked out my February review and saw that Imperial Barber Shop has a Slater Street location. He mentioned the cut was $21 plus taxes and thought that was a bit steep for a barber shop. He suggested that $16 plus tip was a fair price. I have to say that I agree with Raymond on this. And, as you can tell from the prices I've encountered so far, even $16 would be on the high side.
So here's a question for you. How much do you think is fair for a man's haircut? If you'd like to write me, here's my address (note that I have omitted the "at" symbol in an attempt to ward off spam): kyle (at) kylenunas.com
Back to this month's review:
The place for my "March haircut" was Bern Hairstylist Shop. You'll recall that was the one that reminded me of an aquarium. It has a barber shop pole out front but, as we've started to see, more and more of these places have that odd "hairstylist" name creeping in. So I opened the door to the Union Smoke Shop on Rideau Street, headed into the back where the aquarium-looking spot was and had a seat in the waiting chair. This time I was expected - I'd made an appointment a few days day before. I learned the hard way last month that Bern Hairstylist Shop is by appointment only.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The "aquarium" is a tiny space. There's one barber's chair and two waiting chairs. There's a coat rack, a tiny stand with a good assorted of magazines (no surprise when your barber is located at the back of a magazine shop) and room for the barber's equipment. And that's about it. This is probably one of the most efficient uses of space I've seen in awhile.
There was one customer ahead of me and then it was my turn. I was a few minutes early and was happy to see he was right on time. I sat down in the chair right at two and he asked me a few questions, include whether I spoke French. I answered "yes" and he immediately switched over. I asked him where the name of his shop came from and it turns out Bern is short for Bernard.
I mentioned that I had thought he was Swiss, which came as no surprise to him. "I get that a lot." He mentioned that Franco-Ontarians often had to go by English names, hence his nickname "Bern."
It turns out that Bern has been in business 45 years this coming July, and he's been on Rideau Street for 41 years. I said that was interesting and that he must have witnessed a lot of change over the years, especially since there were loads of huge condo buildings springing up all around him. He said something interesting about that. "When we're in the middle of change we often don't notice it."
That said, he was quite aware of the upcoming developments in the area. He mentioned that one street up, on Besserer, the skyline was about to change completely as an entire strip of the older apartments and houses was about to make way for some new condos.
As Bern points out, change is a constant. "If we can't accept it, we look pretty foolish."
THE CUT: I have to say that in terms of barbers that have mastered the art of conversation, Bern's right up there. The cut zipped right by. I hardly noticed it taking place.
COST: $14 (plus tip)
THE RESULT: No comments other than the usual from my wife. This cut seems to be among the best so far. And I have to say it was probably one of the more pleasant experiences to date.
1096 Bank Street
(613) 523-1110
I was about to call this month's review "the search for Super Sam." You see, about a month ago, after a soccer match at Lansdowne Park, I drove down Bank Street for post game pints at Patty's Pub. On the corner of Bank and Sunnyside, I saw a barber's pole and the sign read "Super Sam barber Shop." I made a mental note to check the place out as I found the name fascinating without really knowing why.
Well, two weekends ago, we decided to run some errands on Bank and we walked right past the place only to see that the sign read "Sunnyside Barber Shop." I've never had a great memory so I started questioning myself, wondering if I'd seen the place on Bronson or some other street.
To make a long story short, when I got home I did a quick Google search for "Super Sam", saw that it was indeed on the corner of Bank and Sunnyside and headed there the very next weekend. I again came across the "Sunnyside Barber Shop" sign and, just to be sure, I walked up and down the block but came up empty. So Sunnyside it was and Sunnyside it would be. Super Sam would have to wait until another day.
WHAT TO EXPECT: There were two barbers working inside. One was a large, cheerful man. The other was an older woman. There were two other barber's chairs that weren't being used. The barber closest to the door greeted me right away and told me it wouldn't be long.
I made my way over to the waiting benches. There were a few people there, and they had that look of regulars. Later, while I was in the barber's chair, a good number more came in and they also seemed to be regular customers.
Now, something very unusual occurred just before it was my turn. The older woman was finishing up with her client who then proceeded to complain that he didn't like the haircut. He mentioned it was too short and wasn't flattering. The other barber came over and apologized but also looked down and noted that there were very few clippings and that it didn't seem that she had cut much off at all. Furthermore, he said he thought it was a nice haircut and that he would have done the same job himself. He gave the guy the haircut on the house and the man left.
The woman seemed baffled by the customer's reaction. She mentioned that she hadn't had that kind of experience in years. And she mentioned that she'd cut his hair evenly and really only cleaned up a month's worth of growth and that it was essentially the same haircut as the one he'd walked in with.
I don't know what barbers make but I've tried to guess by working out what they must make an hour, factoring in tips. Once I accounted for rent and business expenses, I figure they don't make all that much. And I have to say, I also had a look down at the floor and tended to side with the barbers on this. I sure hope the guy wasn't taking advantage of them.
At any rate, the chair was free and it was time to get to work. "Who would like to take a chance with me?" And so I settled into the chair.
THE CUT: She used mostly clippers and then finished things off with the scissors. She seemed pleasant, although the chitchat was a little off from what one would expect. The barbers spoke a little bit more about the previous customer and then talked a bit about their equipment. Before I knew it, the cut was done. She showed me the cut in the mirror and everything looked fine by me.
COST: $12 (plus tip)
THE RESULT: It's the last of the long weekend so I haven't been to work yet for the usually reactions from colleagues. My wife thought my haircut looked good and no one's given me any goofy looks so I'd say it's confirmed. At any rate, I'm happy with it.
POSTSCRIPT: As I started to write this month's column, I decided to look up "Super Sam" again and called the number that came up from the Google search. The person on the other end answered "Sunnyside." The voice was clearly that of the male barber from the other day. I played dumb and mentioned that I thought I was dialing "Super Sam." He said that it was the same place and the same people but they had changed their name three weeks ago. It seems the owner sold the shop but kept the name. I went back to the Google search and saw another Super Sam on Gladstone. I think I'll have to investigate.
46 1/2 Sparks Street
(613) 232-0222
www.imperialbarbershop.com
It's been awhile since my last entry, but I have a good excuse this month. On May 3 our first child, Grey, was born. It's been a bit hectic ever since. However, as I was to be off work for several weeks I thought I'd try out Imperial Barber Shop at their original location on Slater Street. I had meant to try them out for months but they are open only Monday to Friday, which isn't normally convenient for me. So I thought this would be my only chance: sneak out while mom and baby are both asleep (risky as one or both could wake up at any moment).
As I had limited time, I decided to call ahead to make an appointment. A woman answered and took down my information, entering it into a computer. I have to say that that's a first for me. The other barbershops I've been to are pretty bare bone operations. In fact, Imperial is the only one that has a website. So if you want to learn about its history, etc, check out the link above.
WHAT TO EXPECT: My appointment was at 10 a.m. and I arrived pretty much on the nose. Inside, the place is very clean. The decore is retro" -- old-looking clock, old fashioned lettering, old looking wood, and it is pretty much the same as the Imperial on Slater Street.
There are three barber's chairs at this location. There were no clients at that moment. There was one barber waiting and she asked if I was the 10 o'clock appointment. I said "yes" and she directed me to her chair. On the wall was a certificate that indicated that my barber had passed an Imperial Barbering course in April 2009.
There was also an "a la carte" shaving menu on the wall. You can opt for a variety of shaving experiences from a 15 minute "daily shave" for $20 or even go for the "Imperial Shave" for $65. That one takes a good hour. In all cases, we're talking a traditional shave using a straight razor. That's something many barbers in town have stopped offering. Given I hadn't shaved in over a week, I decided to indulge in the "daily shave."
THE CUT: My barber wasn't too talkative. It didn't help that I was pretty sleep deprived. So it was a pretty quiet experience. I asked for a nice, short "summer cut" and that's exactly what I got. She then reclined the chair and proceeded with the shave. I started imaging the roaring 20s. Wasn't there a gangster in Chicago who was offed in a barber's chair while getting a shave? Well, nothing that exciting happened to me. It was, as advertised, over and done with in 15 minutes.
After she was done, my barber brought me a hot towel. I paid up and off I went.
COST: $22 (plus tip) for the cut and $20 for the shave. I wrote in a previous review that this is on the steep end for barbers. I have to say that Imperial may be technically a barber shop but, compared to the others out there, it really seems to be in between a barber shop and a salon. They've taken a lot of trouble to create a common experience for customers so I guess you get what you pay for. However, since I started this project I've grown fond of slumming it. Call me cheap!
THE RESULT: I went to brunch with a buddy who had also recently become a dad and he thought the cut looked pretty good. My wife thought it was pretty short but the next week she said it had grown into one of the best cuts I've had so far.
9 O'Connor Street
(613) 234-5465
My June '09 haircut took place during my second (and last month) of paternity leave so I decided to take advantage once again of having a relatively flexible schedule to check out another downtown barber shop that is only open on weekdays. As it turns out, it was also one of the few nice, scorching hot days of an otherwise unremarkable (at the time of writing: July 19, 2009) summer.
Victoria Barber Shop is located in an old stone building on O'Connor Street in between Wellington Street and Sparks Street. And it's a stone's throw from Parliament Hill. The shop has been in this location since 1924.
WHAT TO EXPECT: I walked down a short flight of steps from the street level entrance and came to a heavy metal door that looked more like the opening to a utility room than a shop. I hesitated a second and looked for the sign: I was definitely in the right place. Inside, the decor was quite plain as I've grown accustomed to in the older shops. There were two barbers working on the day of my haircut, a man and a woman although the man was on a coffee run when I arrived.
THE CUT: There was nothing that stood out during the experience. My barber was quite pleasant, but she was not exactly chatty. I noticed there were some straight razors on the barber tables and asked if they still offered straight razor shaves. My barber explained that they only use them for to do the back of the neck. One thing I did like is they have those machines that dispense hot shaving cream. I don't know about you, but I find it feels great on the back of the neck.
COST: $15 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: When I met up with my wife on Sparks Street, she thought the cut looked nice but just like any other. However, the next day, after my shower, she commented that this could quite possibly be the best cut I've had to date.
3049 Carling Ave.
Suite 200
(613) 321-1447
www.phresh.ca/barbershop
A couple of months ago, I mentioned that Imperial Barber Shop was the first barber shop that I'd been to that had a website. Well, this weekend I decided it was time to get my ears lowered and did a quick Google search to see which shops were left that I had not yet reviewed. I saw a listing for "Phresh Barber Shop." The name seemed out of place in the list and it also had a web site. I chuckled to myself as I imagined asking for them to take a "phew" inches off the top.
I clicked on the link, watched as the animated barber's pole spun and then, as the page opened, listened as a rap song played. It welcomed me "to Phresh Barber Shop, the 9th wonder of the world" and promised "hair cuttin' heaven."
Well, I've never been offered haircutting heaven and, moreover, I learned that "this is more than a hair cut, this is a takeover makeover." Oh yeah! I had to give it a go.
I hopped in the car, the jingle which was stuck in my head helped me punch in the address into the GPS. I hit the road, ended up on Carling, drove right past the place, turned round and watched the numbers ever so closely until I came to a tiny two-story plaza. The main sign doesn't list Phresh but I turned in anyway, parked the car and had a look upstairs. I could see the sign in the window.
The building looks like it's a blend between commercial and residential but I didn't see any signs of apartments. I was still not sure where to go, but, seeing as how it was supposed to be in suite 200, I opened the door to a glassed-in stairway to the second floor and headed on up.
Inside there were 5 chairs. There was one barber when I arrived just after 11 a.m. There was a customer in the chair and one person ahead of me waiting. I had a seat and watched "The Fast and the Furious" which was playing on a plasma screen in the front of the shop. Another customer arrived just after me, scanned the room and asked if Chris was arriving. Turns out he was and he arrived maybe five minutes later. From the banter in the shop, Chris seems to be the owner.
The shop opens at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and I'm glad I got there when I did. They don't take appointments Saturdays but they do exclusively on Sundays (for a $5 surcharge). Before too long, four people arrived together. Shortly thereafter, another four customers trickled in. A few minutes after my turn had come, a third barber showed up.
This is a pretty interesting shop. Many of the clients seemed to be regulars and some even knew each other. So there was lots of friendly banter. To me, the place is a hip hop variation of the cliche barber shops from the 50s where people know each other and some even come by simply to chat. And the funny thing is, it's the customers who did most of the talking. The barbers were pretty laid back and not too talkative. Chris especially seems to a have a quiet confidence about him.
WHAT TO EXPECT: I had more than 20 minutes before for my turn so I had a chance to watch the barbers at work. Both of their clients arrived with very short hair. I mean you could already see their scalps! Despite this, I was astounded at how much time the barbers spent on them (probably 25 minutes). They each used multiple clippers and seemed to be very focused on doing some detailing. I even started to wonder if they were any good with scissors, as neither client needed any.
THE CUT: Chris was the next barber free when my turn came. He asked me what I wanted and got to work. Sure enough, he used the clippers quite a bit on the sides and back, but he did use the scissors on the top. He then tidied up the hair around my forehead with the clippers. When it came time to do my sideburns, he was the first to date to offer to narrow them a bit and so I said "sure." As I paid and started to leave, he told me to "stay phresh." Unsure what the reply should be, I simply said "you, too."
COST: $14 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: I thought the cut looked pretty good. Overall, I have to say I found the hip hop atmosphere a bit intimidating at first. But as Chris finished up my haircut, and I thought about how friendly everyone in the place seemed, I thought it'd be fun to come by again. But I'm glad I didn't try to make any "ph" jokes because I would have definitely come off lame! When I got home, my wife said the cut looked pretty good and that it was short. However she thought last month's hair cut at Victoria was the best I've had so far, followed closely by Bern, which I've now taken to referring to as the "aquarium place."
116 Preston Street
(613) 236-5677
August was quite a month in our household. We were busy packing up to move house and, as we were moving while dealing with a newborn, lots of other things went by the wayside. And so it was that I woke up on the 29th, had a look in the mirror at my scraggly appearance and made a mental check of the date. I realized that this was my only chance to get a haircut for at least the next three weeks. My friend Krista had mentioned several weeks back that I should try out Moderno on Preston Street so that I could get a "real Italian shave."
It was raining pretty hard that day which isn't normally a big deal. But I forgot to check out the cross street on a map before heading out. This summer, Preston has been a disaster area as they are digging it up to do the sewers. Consequently, there are many sections of the street that are sectioned off.
In my mind, I figured the place must be near Carling Avenue. I got there and found my way onto a part of Preston that was open. I caught the street number and realized the place wouldn't be in this block. I drove until I came to an obstruction and took a detour to get back onto Preston a little further down. The numbers were still off and so I zig zagged my way down the street, looking through the wipers at the street numbers, until I came to Somerset Street West. It turns out the place is right on the corner.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Inside, the place is like just about every other older barber shop in Ottawa. Light coloured tiles and walls, two old barber's chairs, old pictures on the wall. There was one barber in the shop when I arrived and he was finishing up with a customer. So I didn't have to wait more than maybe 10 minutes.
I asked the barber if he does straight razor shaves. And he asked if someone had referred me to him. I told him, yes, and asked how much. "Same as for the haircut. Thirty dollars." Did he mean $30 each or a total of $30? I decided either way it didn't matter, but I'll spare you the suspense. He charges $15 for each. Way less than what I forked out a few months ago at Imperial!
THE CUT: I sat down and he got to work. He was very detailed. At the end of the haircut, he even brushed out and then trimmed my eyebrows.
My barber had a pretty strong accent so it was sometimes hard to make out what he was saying. But he's pretty friendly and a good conversationalist.
It turns out he came to Canada from Italy in 1967 as a young man. He has been operating out of the same location since March 1972. His son also works in the shop.
When he finished cutting my hair, he saw something outside. He opened the door and yelled out at a young man walking past. He turned and asked me if I liked coffee and said he'd be right back. The young man must have worked at the coffee shop next door. Maybe five minutes later he was back with two espressos. He asked me how I wanted mine. I said just some sugar. He handed me my coffee, a sugar packet and a stir stick. He prepared his coffee and sat down on the other barber chair.
I realized then that the entire time I was observing him he'd been observing me and he was obviously a little amused. I think that when you go to a barber shop with the purpose of reviewing it, you probably somehow project a certain vibe. It was either that or he was reading me in that I was actually wondering if he was going to do the straight razor shave or if he had forgotten.
At any rate, he chuckled as he observed "you've never had a barber serve you coffee before." He mentioned that that's a very normal thing for barbers in Italy to do. I had trouble following what he was saying at this point, but it sounded to me that in the area he was from, barbers would make house calls and bring espresso, or something like that.
We finished our coffees and, to my relief, he went to the back of the room to get out his shaving material. He ran the sink, letting the water get really hot. There's a clear ritual to his shaves as he went back and forth to the sink to wet a towel and apply it to my face to get the skin nice and soft. He used plenty of lather. Just as with the haircut, he was quite methodical.
COST: Haircut and shave were each $15 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: The cut looked good to me. Nice and clean, not too short. My wife liked it, too, but didn't think it was up there with the best ones I've had. There was something surreal about the experience, which definitely makes Moderno stand out from many of the shops I've reviewed so far.
541B Gladstone
(613) 236-0193
This entry could have been called "October haircut." But I think "the Search for Super Sam (part deux)" is more appropriate. Last month, as I headed home from Moderno, I drove east up Gladstone. It was a miserable, rainy day and, peering through the windshield wipers, I saw a sign for Super Sam Barber Shop on the right side of the road. Could it actually be true or were my eyes deceiving me?
I had to wait until October 3 to find out. I wasn't sure what time the place opened and so I wanted to get on the road early. My experience with some barber shops is if you go mid-day you face fairly long waits. But I didn't want to head out too early. When you're contemplating leaving your wife to deal with a young baby on her day off, you want to be quick.
And so off I went. I wasn't sure what to expect. It had to be a cool adventure; afterall the place had proven to be fairly elusive. I turned up Gladstone, retracing my steps. I reached the neighbourhood I remembered it being in and started looking to the right for the place. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sign on the left that read: Super Sam Barber Shop. "Awrunh?" That made no sense at all but there it was. I drove along a little further to scope out parking and ended up parking right in front of "Super Men's Barber Shop." What are the chances?
I crossed the road and walked over to Super Sam. The sign above the door indicated the place is open 7 days a week. It opens at 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays. It was about 8:45 a.m.
WHAT TO EXPECT: I opened the door and found myself in what must be the official Ottawa Senators fan club headquarters. There were jerseys and other Sens paraphernalia hanging from just about every surface. The walls and tiles were much newer and cleaner looking than many of the places I've seen lately. There were 4 barber's chairs. There were a couple of tiny flat screen TVs on the wall.
There was one barber on duty when I arrived and he was with a customer. I was scanning the room and about to notice there was only one person waiting when I heard a rumbling voice: "it will only be a few minutes." I was startled because it was much deeper than I expected to come from the very thin barber before me and, more unexpected, was that the sound didn't come from eye level. It took me a fraction of a second to realize the person speaking was the patron in the barber's chair. Turns out he was Sam.
I sat down and waited my turn. A barber entered the shop with a couple of cups of coffee. "You're 5 minutes late," Sam said sternly. The barber looked at him as if to say "are you serious." It was an uncomfortable few seconds as this new barber stared at Sam in disbelief then turned and made eye contact with me before saying, "he talks too much." What's the appropriate response to that? Nervous laughter? I gave it a try. I had some trouble figuring out whether Sam was actually upset. A little later a third barber arrived, just in time as a few more customers had started pouring in.
The slight barber who had been doing Sam's hair finished up. Sam complained about the haircut and said "no tip for you." By this point I suspected that Sam was either putting on an act or the place was a little off.
The slight barber motioned for me to sit down. He was quiet but seemed to know what he was doing. As he cut my hair, the main entertainment was watching Sam's gruff banter with customers and employees. I noticed him warm up with one customer and I concluded that this whole abusive, gruff faade was just that - an act.
THE CUT: My barber finished up and brought out the mirror. Nice job. Not too short on the sides, not too long in the front.
COST: $10 (plus tip). That's among the cheapest cuts in Ottawa.
THE RESULT: A shout out to Steve S. who suggested I rate barbers based on how I feel the cut looks right after the cut ("out of the box", as he put it) and the next day (or "washed out."). Well, as I mentioned above the "out of the box" result was just fine. No messy bits, my scalp wasn't showing through on the sides. After my morning shower the next day, it was no fuss, no muss. My wife also thought it was a nice cut but didn't rate it among the top ones to date.
3754 Richmond Road
(613) 829-9109
On the day of my November haircut, I had a bunch of other things I had to absolutely do. I had put off my emissions test for the car and needed to get that sorted to renew my plates before my birthday which was just a couple of days away. I had about an hour to kill before the Drive Clean test at the Canadian Tire in Bells Corners so I thought I'd try out the local barber shop.
Unfortunately, I've waited almost 2 months to write this review and so most of the details escape me. However, not much struck me about the place. The barber was quite nice, a little shy but friendly.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The place is modest. There are three chairs. One was in use when I arrived. There was one person in the chair. A second barber arrived part way through my haircut. Three or four people arrived after me and seemed to be regulars.
THE CUT: Nothing stands out for me. A typical haircut, no surprises.
COST: $16 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: The haircut was nice, both as I walked out and also the next day after my shower
502 Gladstone Avenue
(613) 236-9180
Open 7 days a week.
For my December cut, I needed to combine the visit to the barbershop with some Christmas shopping. I didn't have too much time and so was looking for places that opened nice and early. I decided to head down Gladstone to check out the place across from Super Sam's. I knew that Super Sam's opened at 8:30 a.m. and hoped that their competition did the same. The sign on the door said they opened at 9 a.m. I checked my watch, 8:45. I tried the door and it was open.
There was one person ahead of me. "Just five minutes, gentleman," said the short old man who was doing the cutting. That sounded fine to me and so I took a seat.
WHAT TO EXPECT: There are three chairs in the shop, but only one was in use. The place is pretty clean.
THE CUT: The barber had a look at my hair and asked if I took a number 2 clipper. You know, I have a terrible memoryis it 3 or 2? I said "yes." As he got going on the sides, I realized that a number 3 would have been better. Oh well, it'll grow back.
He kept clipping and came to the sideburns. "Shorter here?" He asked, pointing to the sideburns. I nodded "yes." "Good. Too long," he said, seemingly to himself.
When it came time to do the top, he asked about the length. I said "not too short" and I indicated how I like to comb my hair forward. "After Christmas go shorter," he mentioned.
Before he got to work on the top, he said "need to go down." I laughed the kind of laugh one uses when the small talk is a little awkward, expecting that he'd use the little foot pedal and lower the chair. But no, what he meant to say was "slouch, please." He put his arms on my shoulders and pushed gently down so that I'd understand. It wasn't too uncomfortable but a little odd. I'm 6 feet tall and have never had this happen at a barber shop before.
COST: $10 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: Any shorter on the sides and you'd be able to see right through me. The barber parted my hair instead of styling it forward. Mind you, the hair was so short it was hard to notice the part. My wife thought the haircut was nice, although short. After my shower, my hair seemed even shorter. I can't imagine how he could actually cut my hair any shorter "after Christmas." But I'm not that curious! This was not my favourite barber shop experience.
1102 Wellington St. W.
(613) 759-8897
Last month, as I headed down Wellington St. on my way to Super Men's, I noticed a couple of barber shops in Hintonburg. This is a good thing because I thought the barber shop project was going to come to an end soon because I was running out of places to review. I built up my list from doing online searches and what I'm quickly discovering is Google searches only reveal the tip of the iceberg. That's where the iconic barber's pole comes in handy. You really do need to drive around a neighbourhood to find the local barber.
After a bit of a warm spell in Ottawa, it was a crisp morning. But luck was on my siderock star parking right in front. I checked the time. It was 8:50. Although the shop's hours are 9 a.m. on Saturdays, the neon "open" sign was turned on. I tried the door and walked on through.
Inside, the place is relatively small but not cramped. There are two chairs, although only one was in use. Its nice and bright as there's a large window in front. The waiting area was comfortable, not that I needed to wait. I was the first client. Part way through the cut, another client arrived. Seeing that I'd brought a book, the barber said, "I guess you were planning on having to wait. It seems to be busy in the morning every second Saturday."
WHAT TO EXPECT: When I started this column back in '08, I mentioned that I'd see what kind of criteria I could use to evaluate my experiences. I'd always pictured the barber as a place where good conversation happened. Maybe as a consequence of too much Leave it to Beaver as a kid. But that hasn't always been my experience.
I thought of the "quality of conversation" criterion at The Burg's because the barber, Bob Hayes, was quite a good conversationalist. We started talking about the tragedy in Haiti, of course. But he changed the topic after a bit and asked where I worked. I told him I worked on Sussex Drive and he asked about parking. The conversation turned to transit and the subway debate.
Turns out Bob first came to Ottawa from Montreal in 1968 to work as a barber at the Chateau Laurier. It was his first barber job. He told me that there were six engineers staying at the hotel who were studying the feasibility of a subway for Ottawa. They'd see him every morning for a shave. According to Bob, they'd ruled out running the subway down Rideau Street because of the train station and so had determined that Laurier Avenue would be the best bet. "That was 41 years ago and look where we are today."
THE CUT: I told him what I wanted, made sure to mention "not too short," and he got to work. The cut zipped by. I hardly even noticed that he was cutting my hair.
COST: $12 (plus tip).
THE RESULT: I liked the cut. The sides were just right. There were no surprises. After a shower, it still looked good, although my wife thought it could have been a bit shorter in front. Before I'd left, I asked for Bob's business card. On the bottom, it read "Always a Good Cut. At a fair Price."
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